Keep or Trade?

The "Toyota" grills aren't terrible but the whole front end kinda sticks out too far on them. Should've been more rounded in my opinion. Still not a bad truck by any means.

 

Are you having any mechanical issues? If no, then get the paint and maybe some new headlights. Enjoy the truck.

 

Personally, the best front end belongs on the '12-15 but I would also take the 4.0 engine over the new 3.5 all day.

 

If you don't notice too much difference between yours and the newer ones, definitely keep it. If there are major changes in the 4th gen, then consider upgrading. Used truck prices might go down a bit, but by that time you'll have a good amount of cash in the bank and it won't matter as much.

I agree with folks saying that with low interest rates you would be "stupid not to borrow money at 2% instead of paying cash", but that only works if folks take the cash they would otherwise spend and invest it. Very, very few people do that, they just think they are super smart and beating the system and then they go blow the money.

 

I traded my 2013 TRD off road black in for a brand new 2019 trd off road cement leather, heated seats and sunroof and I thought I was livin the dream. Hated the truck. Too nice to off road, leather kinda sucks, hated the trans and motor. Worst decision I ever made trading the 2nd gen. I sold the 2019 after 15 months and prob like a 8k loss plus payments I made. Worst of all the 2nd gens were going for 22-25k and couldnt get one again. That was just my experience. Everyone is diff.

 

Your average mileage per year is 14k over 13 years. Do you still drive it a lot? Me, I don't drive much now that I work from home. If the truck was 28k and you have 181k miles, that comes to approximately .15 a mile. That's pretty darn cheap because you've kept it for so long. Does a new vehicle justify the increased cost? I would wait until the 4th gen to see if there's a more fuel-efficient truck.

 

Keep. The end.

 

I disagree with those who say that borrowing money is better than paying cash for a truck that loses value over time. How is that a better scenario when an owner have an unexpected job loss and can't pay their loan that they are upside down on? An auto loan is not an investment like a mortgage loan.

 

I hate car payments.

 

I have a 2001 PreRunner, I will eventually get a new Taco but will never get rid of the 01. I will use it for the more nastier jobs.

 

We have an 03', 14', and 20' Tacoma at my house. I drive the 14' primarily. I've also owned a 17' Tacoma prior. In my opinion the 2nd Gen with the 4.0 drives much better. Better power band, shifting, and so on. Next is the 1st Gen. The 3rd Gens drive like crap.
I'm waiting for the 4th Gen's to come out and see if it's worth the change. My roof too is slowly fading. I just vinyl wrapped it and no one even notices I have it wrapped since the color matches well. When the time comes, I'm getting it painted. Until then, I'm holding on to my 2nd Gen.

 

If it were me, I would keep the '09 and use a fraction of the money that would have gone to a new one to make some changes/improvements/custom touches. Just little things to make it a little more my own and renew the joy of ownership.

 

my 01 hood and cab top is faded. I was thinking about rattle can color match and 2 part clear after tons of prep. I did consider vinyl wrap and spray vinyl for temporary fix.

 

Paint would probably be a more permanent solution. I think black (or white) is an easier color to address. Finding a dark metallic blue that matched my Tacoma was kinda tough.
That said, vinyl wrapping the hood or roof isn't so bad and does preserve what's underneath. Just don't leave it on for too long.

 

You would be surprised what some new headlights would do for how your truck appears. Swap those out, get a wrap on the roof and repaint the hood. Make some small mods to make it more unique. Screw having payments and screw paying what stuff is selling for right now. Also screw the 3rd gens! LOL...

 

I did a wrap on the roof and decal on the hood of my 2011. Prior to having paint issues to keep it from happening but this should give you an idea of how it might look.

 

Paint it, new headlights, color match the grill surround (I hate chrome), and keep driving it! I have 185,000mi on my 2013 and I plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off. The new ones aren't that much nicer to make me trade in my 2013.

 

Keep in mind your truck is worth more now then it will ever be worth in the future. The jump to a new one won’t be as bad as some people here make it sound, and that’s probably because you posted a 2nd gen vs 3rd gen debate on the 2nd gen part of the forum. I’ve had a 2 second gens and 3 third gens no and literally don’t have any complaints. New 3rd gens drive pretty similar to previous 2nd gens, but thirds gens like to stay at slightly higher rpm. Handling wise, it’s really similar, and so is the steering. I’ve only had auto 3rd gens so I can’t speak on manuals, but I have briefly driven a manual and it feels somewhat similar to what my 2011 felt like. There are a lot of similarities between 3rd gens and 2nd gens minus the engine and transmission. Also people often forget that the 3rd gen is now 6 years old, so it’s proven and not a untested product.

Financially, that’s up to you. It’s really not a decision random internet people should make up for you. If you want a new truck and have the capital to get one, then get one. If not keep your current truck, it will be fine for a while.

 

The only way a 3rd gen would be appealing to me is if they put an 8 speed tranny in it and added some turbos.

 

why not wait till the next generation of Tacoma comes out and then trade it in?